A podcast all about Japanese cartoons and comics as discussed by three self-proclaimed experts in the world of anime and manga! Plus anime news / reviews, coverage of classic anime, hentai / yaoi, and much, much more. Updated every week. We hope.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

All of us are currently at EXPCon this weekend, and between business trips and Otaku USA deadlines there may not be a new episode posted for a bit. We've got two entire shows recorded, but we still need to edit them. In the meantime, Daryl was a guest on the ANNCast, the Anime News Network podcast hosted by Justin Sevakis and Zac Bertschy. Go here to download it.

In the rather likely event that you've found this site via the ANN link, thanks for checking us out! You'll see on the right-hand side of this page links to both the Review Index and the Podcast RSS Feed, both of which you can use to browse through the nearly four years worth of episodes we've released. Do tell us what you think via the email address or voicemail number.

49 comments:

Really enjoyed Daryl on the ANNCast, Will Zac or Justin appear on AWO again?It is a shame Daryl got cut off before he could school us on the Gekigar movement as a a lot of it is over looked. Oh and lol at Joey snack pants.In the future maybe Clarissa or Gerald could appear and talk about Fojoshi culture or or old 80s Scfi anime that no one has heard of.

I know this may add a bit more work between shows, but I would like to see some blogging from you guys as it would make the wait for each show a lot more bearable.

Wow Daryl, way to make a horrible show awesome. Yeah, that podcast sucked, it's a good thing those guys write, cause they should stick to it. That one gay dude on the show was really an asshole. They cut you off before you could finish talking about Gekiranger. Also, WTF, not reading Joey Snackpants's email because he is a AWO listner, when half the amail he read he had to pre-empt with, this guys emails every week, or this guy again, losers. They just could not deal with the awesome game that Daryl can just wax poetic anytime he chooses.

Be that as it may, Daryl was retraining himself out of respect for their show. I do like hearing Daryl go nuts though (like his Anime3000 Gundam assault).

Both of those hosts seem to know their shit, but are just a little on the cynical side for my taste. I guess a lot of anime fans can identify with that kind of personality, I don't. Besides, anyone who can scoff at Cybercity like that isn't worth my time.

Interesting to hear Daryl on a different podcast, but the Cyber City Oedo 808 hate, coupled with the apparent dislike or lack of respect of Fist of the North Star and Golgo 13 makes me not want to really hear what those dudes have to say.They definitely come off a bit too strong.

Hey, I like this idea. You guys should always post a sepparate blog entry to link a shows where you make a guest appearance. I know that you allways post links to other podcasts in a shownotes when that kind of appearance takes place. But i like it much better in this way. Keeps me going towards new AWO episode :)

Yeah I pretty much share the same sentiment here. I know Daryl can get wordy and be an ass himself, and that's fine if that's the atmosphere. The part that got me is that I've listened to all of ANN's podcasts and they treated every other previous guest with nothing but the utmost respect. Then Daryl comes on, behaving himself and even complimenting them, and he gets the second rate treatment. That really rubbed me the wrong way. He might as well have just been his usual sardonic self.

I dont know what the hell you guys are talking about. ANNcast is a fine show with good production values. While being a little cynical for my taste at times, I still have listened to every show as it comes out. I find it entertaining and informative and is a good counter balance to the almost worship that many anime fans espouse towards the medium. I look at it as a more cynical AWO.

I felt that Daryl got disrespected as well. I thought he was very respectful of them, and they constantly cut him off and were trying to bait him into going off. Good performance Daryl and way to keep your patience.

The question and answer portion was hilarious, since the questions were meant for Daryl, but they directed them towards eachother instead. I like what Patrick M. said about you guys on Anime 3000, you are encyclopedia's and make one of the best fan podcasts. I could hear ANN's jealous through the whole show.

I don't think there was really any serious disrespecting going on during that show. Sure, there was some joking around, but I think a lot of what some of you are negatively reacting to is just the result of moderating the discussion for the sake of keeping the segment at a reasonable length for editing purposes. Consider that it was able to be edited and posted within 24 hours of recording. You can't do that if the raw audio is really lengthy. Aside from some very brief parts, that interview is pretty much unedited. (It's why I sound kind of scatterbrained.)

In any case, the only way any podcasters ever know if what they're doing is good or bad is when people tell them directly. You may want to email or post over there with your concerns. Granted, most people never do this because "they won't listen to me" and opt instead to voice their grievances in private, but even though you might get a "yeah, well you're wrong" response at least you'll know that someone raised the issue.

Time to go to work. Man, it's 28 degrees out there. I should have brought a coat or something.

There were some parts of the show when I felt some tension ("Keep your fuckin' in-jokes out of my show" in particular), but Zac has a tendency to be pretty snarky, so I still genuinely enjoyed the episode. Perhaps when Daryl goes on a different show everybody shouldn't take it as a chance to mercilessly bash the other podcasters who were kind enough to invite him to their show.

I also found the ANN hosts to be jaded and cynical, but I don't think it came from any sort of malice. In fact, the explanation for it is pretty simple: anytime you turn your hobby into your job you run the risk of losing the "wow" factor. When following anime becomes your responsibility rather than something you steal time, sacrifice, and yearn for...it's just not as much fun any more.

It's a rare individual who can hold onto that sense of adventure and wonder, who can still respond to stuff just like the first time he/she saw it. Example? I just learned yesterday (thanks to Daryl) that a brand new Votoms OAV series is in the works for spring 2010 and spent a few seconds hopping up and down with a big stupid grin on my face. I never want to lose that capacity, or otherwise what's the point?

"It's a rare individual who can hold onto that sense of adventure and wonder..."

Tim, I think that is still what drives me to work in animation. Even with all the cynicism about the industry here, and the industry in Japan, there is enough of a "wow" factor to keep me going... now if only that "wow" factor was enough to get me more employment...

Holy shit, Something Awful actually liked Astro Boy! http://www.somethingawful.com/d/current-movie-reviews/amelia.php?page=4 And it usually likes making fun of anime fans more than even furries and Hot Topic shoppers. http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/animocracy-in-action.php

Holy shit, Something Awful actually liked Astro Boy! http://www.somethingawful.com/d/current-movie-reviews/amelia.php?page=4 And it usually likes making fun of anime fans more than even furries and Hot Topic shoppers. http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/animocracy-in-action.php

Well I can tell you that's a load of BS. I will say the movie definitely isn't made for us. Those that are new to Astro Boy and do not have much background on it will enjoy this film for what it is, a stupid fun action movie... for kids! It's not light on action but is on substance.

I will say the script needed work, and I only wish some characters had more usage in this like Shunsaku Ban, they could've gotten some cleverness out of that character if they went after his detective roots. I'm glad to hear it made less than 2 mil on opening day, I guess it was worth the $7.75 to watch that only once in my lifetime.

The next episode will be the Anime Weekend Atlanta con report. Clarissa's been busy with her midterms and other school-related endeavors, so I haven't gotten her segment yet. But with any luck it'll be out this week. Editing it was slightly problematic since we had guests via a rather terrible laptop microphone that sounds extremely tinny, but hopefully it's at least intelligible.

After finally listening to this show, I can honestly see why I only subscribe to ONE anime podcast now...Though Daryl appears to optimistically view the abruptness with which he is curtailed as 'discussion moderation' there are ways to go about it. Butting in with comments like 'Sorry Daryl, Justin is falling asleep etc...' just came across as classless.I'm sure I'm not alone when I say this but, It just seemed like the pair of these guys were just acting extremely condescendingly towards not only Daryl, but the AWO podcast too. Hey guys wake up call, AWO has been doing this shit for 3 fucking years and you idiots have barely made it past 3 episodes! Show a little respect!I really want to rant about so many of the comments that were made but I won't as it's just pointless but the one comment that just incensed me was when Justin said (again, rather condescendingly) 'Daryl, people in Japan tell me that NOBODY is buying Hokuto no Ken...'Ok Justin, let me just say, as a Japanese person living in Japan, that Hokuto no Ken continues to sell volumes at a very steady rate, the new movies were greeted very warmly, (nearly every anime fan I know watched Junai no sho at the theatre) the HNK action figure line continues to SELL OUT and there is a brand new game coming out for PS3 which is generating a great deal of excitement within the up and coming generation of anime/manga fans in this country! I know Justin didn't slate the show but he did seem awfully dismissive of the franchise which is not really the kind of thing I expect to hear from somebody that is so influential in the US anime scene. As for the other guy, Zach, it was painfully obvious that he had somebody far more knowledgeable and interesting on his show than himself and he just wanted to poke fun at Daryl for his tastes/knowledge/etc in a very bad attempt to get the limelight back on himself.Oh and that Joey snackpants comment, 'Keep your fucking in-jokes off MY show' made me immediately click 'cancel' on downloading their other episodes. What an obnoxious bastard!

I am definitely starting to rant now, so I will finish in saying; Daryl, if they ask you back for another gig, tell them to take a hike. You deserved way better treatment than that and they know it....

I caught my 14 year old daughter watching "He Is My Master" on Anime Network today. Should I be concerned?

Sincerely,Ima Desperate

Just kidding! But really, a daughter of my dad's girlfriend in the house just had to turn on Anime Network's VOD just to see that show without getting caught by her mom. Thankfully, being a snitch that I am, I told her mom about it later. That's being a responsible guardian! Just wanted to share that with you guys.

Justin's attitude towards the franchise is something you would encounter a lot from the western (US particularly) anime fandom towards shows like Hokuto no Ken back in the day. Anything that resembled entertainment, the majority of people turned their noses up at it. (because they're huge faggots)

I love Hnk. Though unlike Daryl, I remember finishing the VHS of the 80s movie, realizing I had seen something mind blowingly awesome, rewinding the tape and watching it again. That's right, two viewings, back to back.

Karl: In the defense of people who hate HnK, the tv show generally blows. It's like a slightly more violent version of the G.I. Joe "very special" episode where Duke ends up in a coma, but that's about it. I know we should be arguing that HnK is more than just violence, but I really don't want to see Bat play a flute or Lynn mope with her dog every few seconds as filler. Or Kenshiro fighting Space Battleship Yamato and a tank, 'cus Buronson and Hara are still working on the next major villain in the manga.

As for Fist's legacy in Japan, there is some truth to at least Blue Sky bombing over there. [At least, that's based on what Jake from Raijin once told me, anyway.] But much like Kinnikuman, the original manga/anime probably makes enough money to continue cashing in on the series, but nowhere near as much dough as in its heyday. But there's nothing wrong with that for an older show. If it bombed as badly as both the '03 Astro Boy anime and live-action Speed Racer[Yeah, I know it was never as popular in Japan as it was here, even though Nabeshin made fun of it once in Wallflower.], then there'd be a cause for concern. But it's doing fine for now, and more importantly, it's finally catching on in the U.S. I dunno if it's attracting enough attention to justify releasing all of it at once from Discotek, even in cheapo box-sets, but people aren't shying away from it like they used to, just because it didn't have any characters on the cover who'd go great on a Hot Topic shirt. So at the very least, maybe we'll finally get a real live-action movie to wash away the taste of Gary Daniels' bad acting out of our mouths.

I think Daryl's response to Justin's too-cool-for-the-room dismissal was apt and appropriate: if there's nobody buying the stuff there wouldn't be so much stuff.

Seriously. There's now almost as much new manga as there was old manga, new anime in all three formats, oodles of guidebooks and artbooks that we NEVER got back in the 80s, and gamesgamesgames, figuresfiguresfigures. Also, do a search for CDs at Amazon.jp. The OP/ED songs have been covered by multiple artists who presumably grew up on Ken and are now in a position to celebrate the fact.

In fact, there is demonstrably MORE going on now with HnK than there was during the heyday of the show. Dismiss THAT, Justin Sevakis! If indeed that IS your real name!

Karl: No MAD, but there's a Karate Kid-themed AMV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj4fh45fBZo Speaking of MAD, I wish I could find that one which mixed Jojo with Gundam Wing and the one with Rayearth. That shit was hilarious.

Tim: True there's more cashing in of HnK, but less demand for it. I mean, the best-selling manga at Gutsoon really appears to be Angel Heart, and Saeba's not even the hero in that one. Hell, even Hara's appeared to have moved on to children's books. And I'm guessing Baki's become the new HnK over there. Now *that's* a seinen series which has got endurance.

Sorry, no, less demand leads to less cashing in, not more. I'd like to know where the evidence of "less demand" comes from. The original manga has been reprinted countless times, so the publishing support is still there. (I think they only recently announced a "final edition" after 25 years of it constantly being in print.)

If you said there was less demand today for, say, Super Dimension Century Orguss or Aura Battler Dunbine, sure. No contest. But Ken? You wa shock!

And we've seen that phenomenon with the anime industry in general. The only people consistently buying the stuff over in Japan nowadays are the hikkikomori otaku, who only watch moe and harem shows, who then turn off the rest of us, who then create less demand, etc. Fist is similar in nature, in that many of the people who grew up on it still buy into it, while everyone else moved on to *ugh* One Piece. Though I'd rather be a Fist devotee than the guy who doesn't seem to get that that Nymphet anime's a parody.

"I'd like to know where the evidence of "less demand" comes from."

The fact that the stories are becoming less about the main characters and more about generically gimmicky supporting anime characters? [*cough* Legend of the Dark Kings *cough*] The fact that Blue Sky's only made it up to 20 volumes, and the anime spin-off didn't make it past 26 episodes? And those "Master Editions" never made it past nine volumes in Japan, either. Hell, I know it's not fair, given his age, and the fact that he still looks like he could go Rambo IV on my ass, if I said anything wrong about him, but even Buronson forgot about Raoh having a son, when he was asked about it at that AX panel. And from what I was told, the reason Kamiya isn't playing Kenshiro anymore is because they don't want to pay him more than a newbie seiyuu, due to his seniority.

But I'm not saying the series is "over". I'm just saying it peaked, and that the majority of people still buying into it in Japan are either hold-overs from the 80s or people exposed to the new anime and manga spin-offs who want to find out more about the original title. Sort of like the audience for Toriyama's post-DB one-shots. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that approach, since it clearly attracts enough consumers to be profitable. It's just not going to be on the same level of profit as it was 25 years ago.

Maybe I'm just a doofus, but it sounds to me like you're making my points for me while attempting to knock them down. All the activity you describe represents more public attention to the property activated by more cashing in on it.

Blue Sky "only" made it to 20 volumes? "Only"?? That's a huge number for what seems to me a weak and pointless story.

The anime spinoff "only" made it to 26 episodes? These days, any show that goes that far is doing all right. 13 is the new norm.

The Master Editions "only" made it to 9 volumes? Granted, it's not the whole thing, but I'm sure you know how rare a full-color serialized manga is. The infrastructure to make it profitable probably doesn't exist on the scale that was needed.

Also, I'm not altogether certain that the profit level was all that great 25 years ago. There was the manga, the TV show, the movie, and (from what I remember) only a trickle of merchandising compared to the flood of today.

I can't speculate on the "hikkikomori effect," since I don't have any numbers or case studies at hand (if you do, please share them) but in this instance, I think we can probably put more credence in the "shwag effect." The more merchandise you see over an extended period, the more demand is there to keep it going.

Even if it's more demand from the same core group of fans, it's still more. But it sure looks to me like that core is growing. That's the whole point of a franchise.

"That's a huge number for what seems to me a weak and pointless story."

But, as I said earlier, Hara's currently focusing more on a series of children's books than Blue Sky, which probably means that the latter manga didn't really take off the way he hoped. And fuck the haters. Kasumi Kenshiro is the kind of manly man Daryl was complaining about not seeing in manga anymore. The only reason he didn't take off is 'cus he doesn't kill almost everyone in site who fucks with him like his nephew. But then that's not the point of the series. KK knows when to choose his battles, while his nephew ends up getting his ass handed to him by Raoh.

"The anime spinoff "only" made it to 26 episodes? These days, any show that goes that far is doing all right. 13 is the new norm."

Perhaps, but that's only a fraction of the manga, and, as you pointed out, the other series has more spin-offs. Speaking of the anime, it doesn't even have a rockin' opening like its predecessor. It looks like shit you'd see on that Carmen Sandiego cartoon. Maybe that's partly why it didn't take off, but if you have to play some fem-friendly tune to attract viewers, what the hell does that say about the state of seinen genre in general? [I think I also hate the music for the Golgo tv opening, too, cus it sounds like something you'd hear on a keyboard in a throwaway mecha anime from the early 90s...The Guyver TV's CW-wannbe tune is fine, but the way they tried to make the content "psychological", rather than even come close to the OVA-style violence was bullshit.]

"The Master Editions "only" made it to 9 volumes? Granted, it's not the whole thing, but I'm sure you know how rare a full-color serialized manga is. The infrastructure to make it profitable probably doesn't exist on the scale that was needed."

But you're saying the manga sells over there in any form. That was not one of 'em. I can understand the Master Editions bombing here, because the early 2000s manga buyers were mostly cheap-shits who generally only wanted shitty harem titles like Negima and shallow high school dress-up crap like Ultramaniac, but I don't see how a country which can shell out money for the PS3 and SNK's home consoles can't find the extra cash for colored versions of a popular manga.

"Also, I'm not altogether certain that the profit level was all that great 25 years ago. There was the manga, the TV show, the movie, and (from what I remember) only a trickle of merchandising compared to the flood of today."

Perhaps, but the manga is one of Shueisha's better-sellers to this day and the movie had a better-looking budget than most cash-ins of its day. And the show made Crystal King huge in its own right.So, just because they didn't learn how to milk properties like Fist Gundam-style until decades later doesn't mean that it didn't make some good money. There might be more merchandise now, but it's still mostly geared towards adult fans, rather than younger fans.

Your point is becoming harder to follow, Mr. Anonymous. Can we just agree that as 25-year-old franchises go, HnK is a success story and that Mr. Sevakis was a bit too casual in his dismissal?

Comparing it to Gundam is apples and oranges. Gundam comprises something like a dozen different shows (and counting) with hundreds of marketable elements. I think Buronson and Hara deserve our respect for not taking their story farther than it demanded. George Lucas could learn something from them.

The general lack of seinen stuff these days is like the general lack of hard SF and robot anime. Industry is different, market is different, audience is different. But it won't be that way forever.

I have some comments on Fist of the North Star's continued cultural relevancy based on my own observations during two years I spent teaching English in Iwate, Japan. Granted, this is anecdotal, and isn't based on any official sales figures, but Fist of the North Star still seemed like it was well-known and available. The supermarket and convenience stores sold high-quality reprint tankobon. It seems like companies try to keep a lot of older manga in circulation through cheap, repackaged reprints sold through various venues. They weren't in full color, but they were large with better than average printing. It also seemed like most of the students and teachers were basically familiar with Fist of the North Star, even if they weren't diehard fans. And it's important not to overlook the role of Bookoff and other used manga/books/CDs/etc. chains in recirculating older manga. It's still possible to pick up a lot of old manga there, then resell after you're done with it. And I also often saw Fist of the North Star volumes in waiting areas of barber shops and restaurants. It's clearly not the hot new thing, and it's not going to get the press or attention of some newer shows, but I think it had a solid position in general Japanese pop culture. It's probably even more well-known generally than new shows that are hot with both American and Japanese fans. And for a show that old, that's a pretty impressive accomplishment. The franchise still seems healthy to me.

Bothering to post more nonsense like it was nothing, I just wanted to remind some of us Old Skool Anime fans that this Saturday morning the 1967 Toei Doga classic "Jack & The Witch" will be airing on the digital network This TV at 8AM EST. Check local listings for availability.http://www.this.tv/index.php?day=31

Frank: "It's probably even more well-known generally than new shows that are hot with both American and Japanese fans."

Subtract American fans, and I'll agree. But Fist is finally finding an audience here, thanks to CR and Youtube, so that's all that matters.

Anon: Yeah, I know it was the movie, but it still felt more like an extended ep of the series than anything else. The real "very special" episode was when the Joes teamed up with Cobra to take down a drug lord, since even evil organizations with nutty schemes don't do dope.